Posts Tagged ‘Facebook’

Yes, In God We Trust belongs in America today, just as it did at the founding of our nation.

Now, there are facts and there are Facebook facts. True facts are those that can be proven true through independent evidence. Facebook facts are evidently true because there are so many people on Facebook, that everyone you talk to saw the same thing and will back you up on the validity of the Facebook Fact (FBF). It must be true because it’s on Facebook. ;)

Here’s a couple of those Facebook Facts (FBF) that showed up in my timeline last week.

Evidently we are supposed to take as fact that “In God We Trust” came to life in 1956 and that Marco Rubio is a nincompoop. I don’t think either is factual, but given the speed at which false information travels on the internet, both may already qualify as FBF.

One commenter on that timeline image even added their own twist to this FBF.

I bet his crazy ass father taught him that. The only reference is in the Declaration of Independence that refers to “Nature’s God” and the “laws of nature.”

Now I don’t know Marco Rubio, so he may be a fatuous nincompoop with a crazy ass father(don’t really think so), but I believe him to be correct in his sentiment that trust in God is foundational to out nation. As for the words “In God We Trust” as a slogan and or motto here are a few real facts:

In 1956 congress did actually pass a law declaring “In God We Trust” as our national motto, but trust in God didn’t suddenly poof into existence in 1956.

During the 1860’s the US was minting coins with the inscription “In God We Trust” I don’t know if it a motto, a slogan, or what, but by my crude math skills I put the 1860’s almost 100 years before 1956.

In 1814 Francis Scott Key wrote a poem while held as a prisoner by the British during the War of 1812. His poem contained the line, “And this be our motto: ‘In God is our Trust.” That poem, set to music is now know as the Star Spangled Banner. Again with crude math 1956 was some 150 years later.

Clearly trust in God as a part of our nation predates 1956 and in reality goes back to the very foundation of our nation. When the commenter mentions our Declaration of Independence they were ever so close to proving Marco Rubio true, they just were looking at the wrong end of the Declaration.

In opposition to the King of England our Declaration of Independence declared these important things,

that we would no longer be governed by England

that people had inalienable rights bestowed upon them by their Creator, not government.

that we were starting our own government.

Our Declaration was a hugely important document in it’s time, as well as now. Anyone signing the Declaration would have been hung by the British as traitors had they been caught. I’ve read that 5 signers were actually caught, tortured and subsequently died, but that may just be a FBF.

So what made our nation’s founders believe that they had a chance in heck of being successful in their endeavor of creating the United States? Well it’s all there in that last sentence of the Declaration,

“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

In order to break from England and start this new nation called the United States, our founders mutually pledged to each other: their Lives, their Fortunes and their sacred Honor, but most importantly they did so “with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence .” They knew that for this nation to succeed they needed to rely on each other and firmly rely on the protection of divine Providence or in other words they had a complete trust in God’s will.

“firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence” = Trust in God

“In God we Trust” was most certainly not a motto dreamt up by Christian zealots in the 1950s’ or 1860’s or whatever era, trust in God was part of our nation before we were a nation. In God We Trust was not some catchy phrase to our founding fathers, it was what they did, they trusted in God.

Motto, slogan, or whatever, I don’t think anything could be more “American” than Trust in God.

I just finished listening to a podcast of The Morning Show with Joe & Patti for 7/24/12 and from his surly attitude you’d think it was about time for Joe Teehan to take a much needed vacation, but I guess he just got back. The topic was our State’s newly announce plan to register voters via Facebook and as you might expect if you’ve heard the show, Joe & Patti were on opposite sides of the issue. Joe was arguing for making it easier for other demographics to register while Patti was concerned that using only a drivers license or state ID, which don’t establish citizenship, could lead to non-citizens illegally registering to vote.

I’m perfectly OK with streamlining the process as we did with all mail in ballots, online voting or even Facebook registration as long as the eligibility requirements can be proven to have been met. The requirement to vote in federal elections include being over 18 and a US citizen by either birth or naturalization. Currently a regular issue Washington state license isn’t proof of these requirements.

So what made this episode of Joe & Patti worth blog post? It was the way that Joe danced along the line between promoting change and promoting illegal activity. He argued strongly that just because a person was undocumented, commonly referred to as illegal, didn’t mean that they hadn’t contributed to society and therefore deserved a say in the direction of that society. But as I listened I didn’t perceive any distinction between promoting the idea that non-citizens should be able to go out and vote and promoting the idea that non-citizens should go out and vote. You’ll have to listen to the show for yourself to get the full effect because I won’t be taking the time to prepare a written transcript.

If I were to promote the idea that non-citizens should be able to go out and vote I’d be advocating for a change in law, but if I were promoting the idea that non-citizens should go out and vote I’d be encouraging someone to break a law. There is a huge difference between I don’t like the law so let’s change it and I don’t like the law so let’s break it. I think in a lot of cases encouraging someone to break a law is in itself a crime, so I would wonder if an undocumented person were to register to vote as direct result of Joe’s encouragement would he be guilty of something like voter fraud? Would KGMI be liable for a radio personality going beyond expressing their opinion by encouraging criminal activity?

As I said earlier I got caught on the whole Holiday tree vs. Christmas tree at our nation’s capital. The fact that it is so easy to think negatively about our nation’s leader and the moral state of our nation should be a bigger red flag to me that there is something wrong. Not so much with our nation, but with my attitude.

This didn’t hit me so much at the time as it did when I was over at Facebook yesterday. An old high school teammate was pointing out how Coke proclaimed Merry Christmas (Feliz Navidad) in Spanish, yet only Happy Holidays in English. And a more recent acquaintance described Lynden as the last place on earth where people love to wish each other a Merry Christmas. There, two very positive people with a little cynicism to their comments. Odd how visible the Christmas red flag is over other people :) It’s kind of like Indian Native American poker where you plant the card on your forehead for everyone but you to see.

So the blessing from these two was that they got me thinking positive. Thinking about what a great nation we live in that private companies are free to print Merry Christmas or not, and in any language they desire. And thinking about a recent positive Rasmussen Poll I read that cited

It is everywhere in America and not just in Lynden that people prefer the Merry Christmas greeting during Christmas season. So odds are that if you say Merry Christmas to someone it will be warmly received. Being somewhat political, I’ll also note to you that

Ninety-one percent (91%) of Republicans… like store signs that wish them a "Merry Christmas," compared to just 58% of Democrats.

That explains the Lynden thing and gives fair warning that in Bellingham, a warm reception from your Merry Christmas is a bit more of a coin toss. Ya’ know though if your Merry Christmas comes from you heart, it shouldn’t really matter where it lands.

Ok, last thought to help choose a cup half full of ‘nog attitude rather than the alternative comes, albeit a bit out of context, from Titus.

To the pure all things are pure: but to them that are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. (Tit 1:15)